‘Dragon Slayers’ Needed as New Mount Kisco Clinic Tackles Youth Mental Health Crisis

By Toby Rosewater

A little over eight years ago, Dr. Vera Feuer worked in the emergency department at Cohen Children’s Medical Center on Long Island. In the waiting room, she saw a particular kind of patient come and go. Each one, in their own unique way, found themselves in the midst of a serious mental health crisis. 

Ill-equipped to weather such psychological storms, the emergency care often did more harm than good.  

“[Most] of these children should not have ever been in the emergency department…[they] just needed somebody to talk to,” Feuer told The Examiner.

Her realization led to the creation of the Pediatric Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center at Cohen Hospital in 2017. And from that moment on, Northwell’s behavioral health services have continued to grow, resulting in the establishment of four stand-alone health centers across Long Island. 

Westchester Expansion

Northwell’s latest behavioral health clinic, located at 657 East Main Street in Mount Kisco, is set to open on June 30. The $1 million facility will provide appointment-based access to mental health care for children and adolescents experiencing psychological distress, but who do not require hospitalization.  

The new space, which The Examiner toured on Tuesday, aims to be a central source of information on all aspects of mental health, both within and outside the classroom.

“We want to be at every step of the process,” Feuer said, “whether it’s prevention or helping people.” 

To achieve this, the center’s programming will remain flexible and responsive. Beyond the basics, care may include developing a school avoidance program, offering anxiety support, or running sessions for immigrant families dealing with high stress.

“The program [will be] continuously shaped by the needs of the community and the schools it serves,” Feuer said. 

As of now, according to Feuer, the Mount Kisco center has tentative verbal agreements with at least four school districts, although Northwell can’t formalize these partnerships until the districts finalize their overall operating budgets this summer. 

The Space

With light, earthy tones and an airy feel, the facility offers a refreshing contrast to the clinics of the past, often hidden in cold, dingy basements in the name of privacy.

“The goal is to make patients more likely to come if this is a space they’ve already visited – one that is engaging, educational, and helpful,” Feuer said.

The facility features eight multi-use rooms designed for consultations and therapy sessions, several of which are decorated with artwork created by Westchester students as part of the Erase the Stigma Art Contest.

The “big group room,” as Feuer calls it, is highly adjustable and can be used for group workshops, parent sessions, and teacher training. 

“There’s so much that we can do and host here,” Feuer glowed, “our community outreach is just as important as our clinical care.”

Filling the Gap

Mount Kisco was chosen with careful consideration. According to Feuer, Northwell’s tri-annual community health assessments, combined with local feedback, revealed significant needs in northern Westchester and the surrounding area.

A 2024 report from the Westchester County Department of Health shows that Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, a Northwell facility, recorded more than 300 mental health-related hospitalizations in 2020 — about four percent of all its admissions that year.

Furthermore, in a separate 2024 report, more than 32 percent of Westchester residents disagreed with the statement that “there are sufficient, quality mental health providers.” It also noted a lack of support for children and youth with special health care needs.

“The community really rallied and said, ‘We have a gap in care here, and we need more services,’” Feuer said. “[Northwell] pioneered and sort of answered the call.” 

For all these reasons, Westchester appears poised to benefit from this robust new resource.

“Courage is the sword that slays the dragons of fear,” wrote Matthew Siscoe, whose marker art of a fire-breathing dragon nearly triumphed in the Erase the Stigma Art Contest. 

Indeed, from child to parent, educator to clinician, Westchester — and the world — will always need more dragon slayers.